Illinois Uniform Modifications

[JRutledge]

12/12 Important Basketball Uniform Rule update

Despite the efforts of the IHSA Office to work with schools and officials since the 2007-08 school term, there continues to be a problem with illegal uniforms and consistent enforcement of the uniform rule in basketball in Illinois. As a result, the IHSA Board of Directors modified the following three parts of the NFHS Basketball Uniform Rule 3-4 for the 2011-12 season:

1. Rule 3-4-1e: modified this section to say, “Side inserts, including trim/piping/accent color(s), shall not extend into either the front or back torso of the jersey to a point closer than one inch of any number.”
2. Rule 3-4-4b: modified this section to say, “Lettering above or below a number on the front torso of a jersey may be arched, but the first and last letters must be on the same horizontal plane and neither shall extend beyond the mid-point of the number.”
3. Rule 3-4-4d: modified this section to say, “Any point on any letter, decorative accent in an identifying name, or decorative accent not part of an identifying name shall not be closer than one inch to any point on any number(s).

Based on the information provided to our office over the years, the vast majority of uniforms that have been determined to be illegal have been deemed illegal for one of the above listed reasons. Modifying these portions of the current rule will bring the vast majority of schools, if not all schools, into compliance with the rule and still maintain the integrity of the number on the jersey, which has long been the goal of the NFHS rule in general.

These revisions will not affect current rules requiring the torso of a jersey to be a single solid color or the requirement that home teams must wear white jerseys. Due to this action by the IHSA Board of Directors, all waivers previously granted by the IHSA Office are now no longer needed by schools. This action taken by the IHSA Board of Directors is not to be interpreted to mean that Rule 3-4 is being ‘waived’ in portion or totality. If schools are still wearing uniforms that fail to comply with the revised uniform rule, those schools are to be penalized in accordance with NFHS Basketball Rule 10-5.

Included with this posting are a series of images that are intended to depict each of the modifications. The images are admittedly rudimentary and are not intended to confuse anyone; they are provided to offer a visual representation of the Board’s modifications. If the text or the images are confusing, school administrators, coaches, or officials should contact the IHSA Office.
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It appears this has become a major problem. They also provided 3 pictures to show the changes. I might post when I have time to show what they want changed.

Peace